"One of the best minds of UNICEF who strongly believed in reconciling protection of the most vulnerable and economic growth. His Adjustment with a Human Face trained generations of economists and his vocation for teaching finally materialized in his career as a professor at the University of Florence, where he started a course on development economics in developing countries.
Having a chat with him has always been a moment of personal and professional enrichment! Even when he realized that his health was not good, he did not stop thinking about new study projects, because he knew that his mind was his life.
It is a great honor for me to have met you and to have been considered your friend.
Goodbye ANDREA! R.I.P."
Patrizia Faustini
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very warm greetings! I hope you are well and enjoying a restful summer. it was good to see you in our recent Arigatou meeting and it is always a pleasure to read the messages you share.
ReplyDeleteI am writing with not very good news I just received from friends in Florence - Andrea Cornia has passed away this morning. I understand he had been unwell and was recently hospitalized.
It is sad to see him go but, as we know well, Andrea’s determination, strong commitment and decisive contribution to Unicef policy studies at IRC, in the CEE/CIS region, and to structural adjustment with a human face will remain a reference for many years to come.
Very fond regards
Marta
Dear Marta,
DeleteThank you for sharing the sad news of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Giovani Andrea Cornia. I am sharing your message with a few other colleagues who knew, worked with and admired Andrea.
Andrea was an intellectual giant. Together with Richard Jolly and others he played a major role in critically analyzing the impact of the structural adjustment policies promoted by the IMF and the World Bank in the 1980s that had a massive negative impact on the well-being of women and children in developing countries. The resulting UNICEF publication of "Adjustment with a Human Face" (AWHF) did much to challenge and eventually change the IFI's policies.
Jim Grant, Richard Jolly and many other UNICEF leaders, including our Goodwill Ambassadors and UNICEF NatComs used the findings and recommendations of AWHF to advocate for more child-friendly economic policies with considerable success. AWHF lifted UNICEF's voice as a respected advocate for sound economic policies in many of the world's important development forums beyond the World Bank and IMF, including at OECD/DAC, the World Economic Forum, Society for International Development, national development planning commissions and in the some of the world's top academia.
As you point out, Andrea also made important contributions to policy studies at IRC-Florence and in the CEE/CIS region, both as a UNICEF staff member and even after his retirement.
At a personal level, Andrea was full of life with good humour & friendly demeanor.
May Andrea's soul rest in eternal peace.
Dear Sir Richard Jolly and Mr. Gautam,
ReplyDeleteAndrea Cornia passed away this morning, at hospital in Florence, after a long battle with cancer.
May His Soul Rest in Peace, Amen.
I will be informing UNICEF HQ and ex UNICEF staff via Mr. Tom McDermott.
Josephine Rajasegera
New York
How very sad. Andrea played a major and historic role in UNICEF in formulating UNICEF’s strategy of Adjustment with a Human Face in the 1980s which challenged the dominating approach of the World Bank and IMF. For most of the 1980s, this approach had been subjecting many of the poorest developing countries to setbacks and constraints, seriously setting back their development. After several years of denials, first the IMF and then the World Bank conceded that they had been misguided and that UNICEF was right. It was a major concession and led slowly to a broader approach, admitting that UNICEF had been right.
DeleteAndrea played a major role, along with Frances Stewart and Richard Jolly in achieving this fundamental change. Andrea’s role with that of Frances deserves to be remembered.
Richard Jolly